Download Unit XIII: Treatment of Abnormal Behavior

Unit XIII: Treatment of
Abnormal Behavior
Module 73
The Biomedical Therapies
Drug Therapies
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Drug Therapies
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• Psychopharmacology is the study of drug effects
on mind and behavior.
• Double-blind studies show that many drugs (like
antidepressants) have a modest effect when
compared to placebos
Drug Therapies
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• With the advent of drugs, hospitalization in
mental institutions has rapidly declined.
• However, many patients are left homeless on
the streets due to their ill-preparedness to cope
independently outside in society.
Antipsychotic Drugs
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• Antipsychotics remove a number of positive
symptoms associated with schizophrenia such as
paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations
• Most are antagonists, which mimic dopamine,
occupy its receptor sites, and block its activity
• Many have serious side effects: tremors, tics, and
involuntary movements of facial
muscles & limbs
Antianxiety Drugs
• Antianxiety drugs depress the
central nervous system, and reduce
anxiety and tension by elevating the
levels of neurotransmitters like
GABA
• Shown to enhance the benefits of
exposure therapy and help relieve
symptoms of PTSD and OCD
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Antidepressant Drugs
• Antidepressants like Prozac are
Selective Serotonin Reuptake
Inhibitors (SSRIs) that improve the
mood by elevating levels of
serotonin by inhibiting reuptake
• Best when used with severely
depressed patients
• Antidepressants are now also used
to treat anxiety, OCD, and PTSD
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Mood-Stabilizing Medications
• Lithium Carbonate, a common salt, has been
used to stabilize manic episodes in bipolar
disorders.
• It moderates the levels of norepinephrine and
glutamate neurotransmitters.
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Brain Stimulation
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Electroconvulsive Therapy
(ECT)
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• ECT is used for severely depressed patients who
do not respond to drugs.
• The patient is anesthetized &
given a muscle relaxant.
• Patients usually get 30-60
seconds of electrical current
that relieves them of
depression.
About 4 in 10 ECT-treated patients
relapse into depression within 6 months
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic
Stimulation (rTMS)
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• In rTMS, a pulsating magnetic coil is placed over
prefrontal regions of the brain to treat depression
with minimal side effects.
How does it work?
One possible explanation is
that the stimulation energizes
depressed patients’ relatively
inactive left frontal lobe
Psychosurgery
• Psychosurgery is surgery that removes or
destroys brain tissue.
• Psychosurgery is used as a last resort in
alleviating psychological disturbances.
• Removal or destruction of brain tissue
changes the mind and is irreversible.
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Lobotomy
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• Lobotomy is a procedure that cuts the nerves
connecting the frontal lobes to the thalamus
• Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz developed it
in 1935 to help uncontrollably emotional and
violent patients
• In 1945, American neurologist
Walter Freeman developed the
transorbital lobotomy, which
used an ice pick through the eye
socket to damage the neural
connections.
Howard Dully’s story
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Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes
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Mind-Body Interaction
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• The biomedical therapies assume that mind and
body are a unit: affect one and you will affect the
other.
Therapeutic Lifestyle Change
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• Humans were never designed for 21st century
American life. Our ancestors exhibited little
evidence of disabling depression.
• What can be done?
 Aerobic exercise
 Adequate sleep
 Light exposure
 Social connection
 Anti-rumination
 Proper nutrition